Compliance Node Overview
CWE-89 (Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command, commonly known as SQL Injection or SQLi) is consistently among the most dangerous and exploitable web application weaknesses. CWE-89 is defined as: the product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component. Without proper removal or escaping of SQL syntax in user inputs, attackers can interpret their data as executable commands rather than benign information. Common Consequences include unauthorized code execution (adversaries could execute system commands, typically by changing the SQL statement to redirect output to a file that can then be executed), data confidentiality loss (since SQL databases generally hold sensitive data, loss of confidentiality is a frequent problem with SQL injection vulnerabilities), authentication bypass (attackers may connect as other users without password knowledge), access control circumvention (authorization data stored in databases can be modified), and data integrity compromise (information can be modified or deleted through successful exploitation). The Potential Mitigations are well-established: parameterized queries (process SQL queries using prepared statements, parameterized queries, or stored procedures that enforce separation between code and data); least privilege (run code with minimal required permissions; database users should have only necessary privileges); input validation (use an accept-known-good input validation strategy with strict allowlists conforming to specifications); and output encoding (escape special characters; apply conservative character filtering beyond alphanumerics). Parameterized queries are the gold-standard mitigation because they enforce a strict separation between SQL code and user-supplied data at the protocol level.
Pillar: Cybersecurity · Authority: MITRE Corporation / Common Weakness Enumeration · Version: 1.0.0 · Last updated:
Primary source: https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/89.html
SHA-256 integrity: 6afbaf933333fd2fb6c2e70fd579aa7c441b8d030786b74ac0eecb8eee4d00d6
Primary Citations — 9 traced to source
- CWE-89: Improper Neutralization of Special Elements used in an SQL Command (SQL Injection) - MITRE Common Weakness Enumeration at https://cwe.mitre.org/data/definitions/89.html
- CWE-89 Definition - the product constructs all or part of an SQL command using externally-influenced input from an upstream component, but it does not neutralize or incorrectly neutralizes special elements that could modify the intended SQL command when it is sent to a downstream component
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